The "World" appellation has stuck despite the fact that only teams in the United States and Canada participate. Attempts to pit the North American champions against champions in the Japanese or Latin American leagues have, so far, not succeeded.

A persistent myth is that the "World" in "World Series" came about because the New York World[?] newspaper sponsored it. Baseball researcher Doug Pappas refutes that claim, demonstrating a linear progression from the phrase "World's Championship Series" (used to describe the 1903 series) to "World's Series" to "World Series". (For details, see Mr. Pappas's web page on the subject: http://roadsidephotos.com/baseball/name.htm ).

Baseball tournaments between international teams do occur, notably at the world championships and at the Olympic Games. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, the US sent a team of minor-league players, they won the gold medal, suggesting that a major league team could defeat any non-American national team. Of course major league teams do not consist entirely of US nationals, and the famed Cuban team (which was beaten by the Americans in 2000) has defeated Major League teams in some confrontations.

During the 1880s, the National League and American Association champions met on occasion, to determine the Championship of the United States. The series were not well-planned and the clubs in them organized things themselves. The series varied from six to 15 games.

1891[?]: No series held; the American Association folded after the season ended.

In 1892, the National League (expanded to twelve teams after taking in four of the American Association clubs) played a split season, with the first-half and second-half champions meeting in a postseason series. The split-season experiment was not repeated.

In 1894, the first-place and second-place National League teams met in postseason play. The games became known as the Temple Cup games, after Pittsburgh sportsman William C. Temple donated a cup to serve as the trophy. The games did not draw the interest people had hoped for.

The 1904 Series[?] was supposed to be between the AL's Boston Pilgrims and the NL's New York Giants. The Giants' owner, John Brush, refused to allow his team to play, citing the inferiority of the upstart American League. Brush also cited the lack of rules under which the games would be played and the money would be split. During the winter of 1904/05, however, Brush proposed what came to be known as the "Brush Rules", under which the series would be played over subsequent years.

One rule was that player shares would come from gate receipts from the first four games only. This was to discourage teams from throwing early games in order to prolong the series and make more money. Receipts for later games were split among the two teams and the National Commission (the new governing body for the sport, which was able to cover much of its annual operating expenses from World Series revenue).

The list evolved over time. In 1925, Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets convinced owners to adopt the current 2-3-2 system of scheduling World Series games (one team would host the first two games, the other team would host the next three, and the first team would host the last two if necessary; the leagues alternated which representative would host the first games).

Some consider this the greatest World Series upset. The Chicago Cubs record was 116-36, setting a regular-season winning percentage record which still stands. The White Sox had a strong pitching staff but were the worst-hitting team in the American League. The "Hitless Wonders" got all the hitting they needed to shock their crosstown rivals.

The Tigers might have finally won the Fall Classic in their third try had it not been for Babe Adams. A rookie pitcher for Pittsburgh that year, manager Fred Clarke[?] started him, on a hunch, in game 1. Adams won that game and two more.

Philadelphia third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker[?] earned his nickname during this series. His home run in Game 2 was the margin of victory for the Athletics, and his blast in Game 3 off Christy Mathewson tied that game, which the Athletics subsequently won. The Giants never recovered.

This dramatic Series involved great pitching from Christy Mathewson and from Boston fireballer Smoky Joe Wood, who won two of his three starts and pitched in relief in the final game, won when Boston rallied for two runs in the ninth inning thanks to two costly Giant fielding misplays.

Walter Johnson, making his first World Series appearance toward the end of his storied career, lost his two starts. Washington battled back to force a game seven, giving Johnson a chance to redeem himself when he came on in relief in that game. Johnson held on to get the win and to give Washington its only World Series win.

In Game 1, Willie Mays makes "The Catch" -- a dramatic over-the-shoulder catch of a line drive to deep center field which would otherwise have given Cleveland the lead. Dusty Rhodes won two games with his bat, pinch-hitting.

The Milwaukee Braves become the first team to win a Championship after relocating. Until 1953, they had been the Boston Braves, winners of the 1914 Series. In 1995 they would win again, as the Atlanta Braves.

Before Randy and Curt, there was Sandy and Don. Koufax, Drysdale and Johnny Podres[?] combine to give up only 4 runs in 4 complete games This is the first time that the New York Yankees were swept in a World Series in four games (the 1922 series had one tie).

Koufax and Drysdale return to the Series. LA's lefty-righty one-two punch had combined for 49 wins and 15 shutouts in '65, but after Sandy and Don got rocked by the Twins in the first two games, it took a five-hit shoutout by Claude Osteen to get the Dodgers back into the series. By Game 7, Koufax regained his form and clinched the title with a three-hit, 10-strikeout, 2-0 victory. Koufax was the MVP while Ron Fairly hit two home runs.

The Miracle Mets: The New York Mets, 73-89 in 1968, won 100 regular seasons games and swept all before them in only their 8th year of existence, behind the pitching of Tom Seaver and Jerome "Jerry" Koosman.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of the opening game, with Mike Davis on base and Dodgers down 4-3, the injured Kirk Gibson[?] hits the game-winning home run off Oakland's ace reliever Dennis Eckersley[?] and limps around the bases in what would be his only at-bat in the series.

Five of the seven games in this series were decided by one run. Three of those games went into extra innings. Morris started three games and won two, including the dramatic seventh game. Down three games to two, the Twins won Game 6 behind Kirby Puckett's extra-inning home run. The next night, after Morris pitched ten innings of shutout ball in game 7, Gene Larkin's single scored Dan Gladden in the bottom of the tenth for the deciding game's only run.

Joe Carter[?], Toronto, hit the first (and so far only) come-from-behind walk-off home run to win a World Series (Bill Mazeroski's famous home run was hit with the score tied). The fourth game, won 15-14 by Toronto, was the highest-scoring game in any World Series.